(1) Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a process for recovering resorcin at a high recovery yield from an acid-decomposition product of m-diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide (hereinafter referred to as "m-DHP").
(2) Description of the Prior Art:
A process for preparing resorcin and acetone by decomposing m-DHP in an inert solvent in the presence of an acid catalyst has been known from old. When an acid type ion exchange resin or an acidic solid catalyst such as silica-alumina is used as the acid catalyst in this process, the resulting reaction mixture need not be neutralized after decomposition reaction and it can be fed to the subsequent step only after separation of the catalyst. Therefore, this process is very advantageous from the industrial viewpoint.
Ordinarily, in order to recover resorcin from the acid-decomposition reaction mixture, acetone and the inert solvent used are removed by distillation. At this distillation step, however, since resorcin has a very high reactivity as is well-known in the art, resorcin is likely to react with carbinols or olefins formed as by-products or with peroxides, and the recovery yield of resorcin is often reduced by these side reactions.